Elder Scrolls Online cinematic trailer heralds start of beta sign-ups

The Elder Scrolls Online publisher Bethesda Softworks is now taking applications for the game's upcoming beta, and the company released a lengthy cinematic trailer today to mark the announcement.

Interested parties can head to the game's website to sign up for a chance to partake in the beta; Bethesda will give "selected beta registrants" the opportunity to beta test the MMO set in the series' realm of Tamriel. At this time, there's no information on when the beta will be available.

Along with the announcement of beta sign-ups, Bethesda released an "Alliance" trailer today, a nearly six-minute cinematic video in which three factions led by talented, deadly warriors — the Aldmeri Dominion, Daggerfall Covenant and Ebonheart Pact — team up to infiltrate and take over a stronghold in the Imperial City. The trailer provides an idea of the form that such a raid might take in The Elder Scrolls Online, but there's no gameplay footage; the studio previously released a clip of gameplay in a developer diary.

The Elder Scrolls Online, developed by ZeniMax Online Studios, is set for release in 2013 on Windows PC and Mac.